Remember The Warmth You Gave
by multi-fandoms-weirdo
Summary: Ivan & Alfred have met before as children, a time that Ivan could only deem pure happiness despite any obstacles. Ivan is the only one that remembers that time after meeting Alfred years later. In attempt to make him remember, Ivan takes Alfred back to Russia, but at a cost. Now it is either survival or death for the two in an unforgiving Russian Winter.
1. A Familiar Face

**Chapter 1: Familiar Face**

Hello there wonderful readers~ This is my first fanfic so be nice to it. After a while of finding motivation, I was finally able to finish this chapter & I'm already starting on chapter 2 so hopefully it'll be uploaded pretty soon.  
**Quick Sum of the Story:** Ivan & Alfred have met before as children. Only one remembers that time of happiness. Now after years apart, Ivan is determined for Alfred to remember him & how much he means to him, though at a cost. In attempt to make him remember, Ivan asks Alfred to come back with him to Russia in hopes of making him remember. That was before Ivan had even thought of the plane having problems & ultimately crashing with him & Alfred the only survivors. Now stranded in Russia during winter & miles away from civilization, they both realize how grave the situation is.  
Enjoy!

* * *

It was already noon by the time Ivan stepped off the plane to the state of New York in America. He felt the cold wind slap his face as soon as he came outside; it was after all in the middle of winter in America. Ivan just brushed it off & looked around the loud & crowded airport for a certain Lithuanian face.

The 25 year Old Russian man towered what he could swear was everyone in the airport so everyone would think that with his height, it would be easy to spot someone.

Well it wasn't.

Ivan looked around for a 5th time but he didn't spot his old friend Toris anywhere. There wasn't even a sign waving around with the name 'Ivan' written on it anywhere.

"_He must be late." _Ivan thought.

After another minute, Ivan decided it was too loud in the airport so he went outside & sat on the nearest bench to wait. Another gust of wind blew Ivan's platinum blonde bangs in his violet eyes. The Russian was already familiar with the harshness of winter & how worse it was in Russia than New York but never the less, Ivan pulled his long white scarf closer to his pale face.

"_Now to sit, & wait." _Ivan thought.

After what felt like forever, Ivan spotted a silver car pull up a few yards from Ivan. He stood as it stopped. Ivan knew it was Toris's car but Toris wasn't the one who pulled up. Instead, a smaller -& almost feminine- looking figure with shoulder length blonde hair popped out.

"Feliks." Ivan said under his breath.

He remembered Toris mentioning he'd also be in America.

"Ivan! Its like, been a while!" Feliks said with his Polish accent as he happily came up to the larger Russian man.

Ivan already wanted Toris to be there to drive him to his hotel. It wasn't that Ivan didn't particularly have a problem to settle with Feliks, it was just that he was generally annoying, but Ivan didn't really think of it as long as he got to his hotel.

"Oh привет Feliks, it is good to see you as well." Ivan said to Feliks with his usual sweet smile.

"I have to ask, where is Toris?" Ivan asked him. Feliks's smile faded a bit.

"Toris like, didn't feel too well this morning so he like, asked me to drive you to your hotel. He'll totally be fine though & he said he'd like, come & talk to you later about like, the business & stuff." Feliks answered.

Ivan nodded & smiled as he took his bags & started packing them in Feliks's borrowed car. He heard Feliks whine a bit loudly.

"It's like, freezing out here!" he complained as he rubbed his arms that were already protected by a thick coat. Ivan couldn't really feel the cold due to his long, thick, beige colored trench coat that he was usually wearing a lot of the time. He ignored Feliks's whines & miserable moans from the cold. Once he packed, he got in the passenger seat of the car while Feliks jogged his way over to the driver's side. Feliks started the car & left the airport seconds later.

Feliks tried to start up a conversation with Ivan by asking about Ivan's sisters in which Ivan only replied,

"They're fine. They check up sometimes." & then going silent.

Feliks made a light humming sound to Ivan's answer. Ivan didn't attempt to start another conversation with Feliks once the smaller Polish man again tried to himself. After about 5 minutes of Feliks's annoying attempts, Ivan slowly turned his head to him & smiled his usual sweet & childish grin that scared many people a lot of the time.

"Feliks, if you could, please be quiet. I had a long plane ride & I'm tired so please just drive to the hotel & don't talk." He asked politely enough to make Feliks flinch a bit & nod. Ivan returned his gaze out the window, reflecting his plane ride, & the dream he had during the plane ride once he fell asleep.

* * *

_Ivan was quietly walking through the snow covered forest for peace & quiet. He remembered his younger sister Natalya clinging to him before he went to the market to get tonight's dinner, & how she reacted rather violently to him leaving. Big sister Katyusha managed to pry her off so he could leave. She just didn't anticipate him coming back with nothing & instead of being mad she just started bawling her eyes out as quietly as she could as to not wake the sleeping Natalya. Once the young Ivan saw Big sister crying, he made sure to hide the already appearing bruise on his wrist. _

_After minutes of crying & Ivan feeling guilty, he told Big sister that he would go for a short walk & that he would be back before Natalya woke from her nap. Big sister wiped her eyes & nodded at her little brother. _

_Now Ivan was here, sitting on a tree stump, holding his raggedy clothes ever tighter in the cold & feeling bad for making Big sister cry. He just hoped the bully boys from school who had stolen & threw away his groceries, wouldn't come back to push the boy further into his own little depression. Ivan felt he could cry. _

"_No! You're a big boy now, & big boys don't cry!" the 10 year old boy thought furiously. He shook the feeling off & just stared at the grey sky & the blinding white of the snow at his feet in complete & utter silence. _

_It was peaceful. _

_Then there was the snap of a twig in the distance. "You should have seen how she cried!" a loud & cruel voice laughed._

* * *

Ivan knew very well it was a memory than a dream. There were other ones that corresponded with the one he had on the plane after that loud & cruel laugh from another boy. After having them about 3 times already, Ivan concluded it was a memory since he started to remember just fragments of the whole thing piece by piece that would show themselves in his sleep.

The thing that made Ivan wonder was why he was having them so recently. Ivan thought he would know soon if not later. There was however one piece, of that memory that made Ivan quirk a smile almost every time he thought of it:

a loud but cheerful laugh, a beautiful head of wheat blonde hair, & large ocean blue eyes that looked at him with care. Even though he had forgotten many of that certain memory that kept reappearing in his dreams, he would never allow himself to forget that boy that showed Ivan so much friendship & love while others just replied to him with fear.

Ivan didn't notice the corner of his lips start to rise to a real smile that overlooked the all too fake one Ivan possessed. He just gazed out the window, lost in his thoughts that were suddenly on the boy Ivan remembered.

"_Alfred. That was…no…IS his name." _Ivan thought.

Ivan snapped out of his thoughts to the sound of Feliks nearly shouting his name. He turned his head to the Polish man.

"We're like, here." He said. Ivan opened his door & looked up at a large but otherwise inviting Comfort Inn. Ivan looked down at his watch.

"1:30? It seemed like minutes." Ivan mumbled.

"What?" Feliks yelled back at him while getting Ivan's luggage out of the trunk. Ivan turned back to Feliks.

"Nothing, Feliks." He smiled.

Ivan & Feliks entered the building & Ivan spotted a familiar head of shoulder length brunette hair. Apparently Feliks did as well.

"Toris~!" sung the smaller man next to Ivan before he ran towards the timid Lithuanian man. Once Feliks established his loud & happy hellos, Toris & Feliks came up to Ivan with Toris fidgeting a bit. Ivan smiled down at Toris & patted his shoulder.

"привет Toris." Ivan said with his usual sweet but creepy smile.

Toris shivered a bit at the sight of Ivan's smile but regained himself.

"Good day, Ivan. How was y-your flight?" he asked as bravely as he could. Ivan looked closer at Toris. Feliks wasn't lying when he said he wasn't feeling well. Ivan saw his face was paler than it usually is & his voice seemed a bit hoarse.

"It was tiring Toris, but thank you for the concern." He answered. Toris nodded quickly & lightly grabbed his stomach.

He groaned a bit. "I am s-sorry Ivan but…I must go lay down for a while. I-I am ill you see." He said with a groan. Feliks was immediately at his side.

"Your room is like, room 207. Here's your key." Feliks handed Ivan a key with a tag on the end at had the numbers '207' on it.

He smiled.

"Thank you Felix. Get well soon Toris so we can talk about why I'm here." Ivan told them. Toris flinched & looked up at him.

"T-Thank you Ivan, I'll try." He answered. Feliks & Toris were then in the elevator & back to their own rooms & leaving Ivan in the lobby.

He inspected the Comfort Inn's interior. It was more comforting than the outside of the building. He rested on one the white lounge chairs in the lobby for a minute to take a breather. With the long plane ride & the constant dreams, Ivan was exhausted.

He worked in Kirkland/Bonnefoy International Imports where people & artists such as himself all across the world would create or build anything & auction it to people via the internet or at an actual auction.

Ivan found he had a talent for painting & in need for money, sold them. This caught the attention of Francis Bonnefoy, the founder of the company that was born & raised in France that was in Russia specifically for looking for other artists for his company when he spotted Ivan trying to sell some of his work on the street in the middle of a snow day. Ivan had some bad luck finding buyers that day before Francis came up & offered to buy his entire stock for a business proposal in which Ivan almost immediately took up. Once they both talked it out over a small lunch, Ivan shook Francis's hand in agreement to the job & in return, Francis took Ivan's stock & paid him an amount of money Ivan thought he would never look upon in his life.

Ivan remembered how ecstatic his sisters were when they saw the amount he was paid & of his recent job acceptance.

That was almost 10 years ago.

True Ivan's financial issues decreased, but he overall, wasn't happy. He wasn't depressed, he just thought more good would come from accepting a great job with great pay but he instead would reflect more fluently on the old saying 'Money can't buy happiness.' Because of the events that took place afterwards;

his older sister Katyusha moved back to her birthplace Ukraine 3 years after he got his job with minimal communication to him,

his old friends Toris & Eduard along with their younger brother Ravis went their separate ways 2 years back after an entire childhood of the 3,

& Natalya having to be admitted to an institution for a year for her apparent hostile intentions towards other people for no real reason & for the ongoing obsession of wanting to marry Ivan.

Not to mention Ivan's terrible social income with other people & how they seem to be afraid of him. He would think a lot of why no one would even attempt to talk to Ivan unless they're forced too. True Ivan's height was taller than an average man's height & how Ivan resembled a large man hiding weapons what with him wearing his trench coat most of the time, & his unusual facial features: his silvery platinum-blonde hair, his large nose, his pale ghostly white skin, & most of all, his amethyst eyes. Some children that had noticed him before have called him a ghost before their mothers or fathers told them to be quiet before they moved away.

Ivan sighed & stood back up & grabbed his suitcase for the short walk to the elevator. Room key & suitcase in hand, Ivan walked towards the elevator all the while acquiring looks from some other people staying there. He noticed & ignored them as he slipped in the elevator & pushed the button to the second floor. He made his way to his room & shut the door & sighed.

He rubbed his face with his gloved hand & sat on the edge of his bed with another sigh.

He saw how Toris was acting once he talked to him & even though he wouldn't allow it to show, he felt his heart sink a bit. It usually hurt when people would act afraid because of his image. He was just glad that people haven't locked him away so as to make sure they don't have to look upon him & that his business associates at least didn't act very afraid of Ivan whenever they had to talk to him. He felt sometimes that he had an aura about him that didn't go well with anyone anytime he attempted to talk to them.

He then thought back on earlier when Feliks had attempted conversation from him.

True that was something, but Feliks was Feliks & Ivan knew Feliks was nice but in another more feminine way that simply made Ivan wonder if the man was a man & that the 2 would just be stuck as acquaintances than friends due to that & the fact that Feliks would never really hang out with Ivan unless he was forced too.

Ivan sat on the bed for a minute before glancing at the large window on the other side of his room. He stood & went over to it to see the mass of life outside even in the cold.

He thought about home & how there would most likely be a blizzard bad enough to trap people in their homes.

"_At least I can see life outside this window."_ He thought remembering how his own home in Russia was just outside of the nearest town where only snow could greet you instead of other homes.

As he continued to watch everything outside, he became more saddened about life in particular & how it was treating him. He regained himself & shook his head.

"Maybe I should check out the city for a while. Just to clear my head." He thought aloud. He was soon out the door & out the hotel. He knew if he got lost, he could just call Toris to come & find him.

Once he exited the hotel, he started walking towards a small café he spotted after his arrival that was near the hotel. He started walking towards it when he heard his name being called.

"Ivan! Hey Ivan!" he turned around & Feliks was jogging (or running) towards Ivan. "Hey Ivan, like, can you & Toris do this thing tomorrow? He's awful sick & just threw up & like, can't really do much." He told Ivan.

He sighed a bit & nodded, giving off his trademark smile.

"Da. If he is ill, then I will be patient. Just make sure he is getting better." He told Feliks. Feliks nodded & rushed back to the hotel. Ivan resumed his walk towards the café. Once he came in, everyone shot glances at him before returning to their lunches & coffees. Ivan thought he could do the same.

Once he came to the counter, he simply ordered a coffee & went to his table to wait. He laid his chin on his palm & stared out the window at all the passerby's. Nothing was particularly interesting about the many people walking by, but there was one that immediately caught his eye: a man probably around the same age as Ivan talking loudly & happily with another man that looked shyer & spoke more quietly to the other.

Ivan couldn't see the loud man's face but there was something about him that made Ivan start to think he knew the man for some reason. He was staring at the 2 men until a woman's voice snapped him out of his daze.

"Sir, your coffee?" she spoke while holding a steaming cup of the warm liquid. Ivan nodded & took the coffee.

He turned his gaze back to the window only to see that the 2 men were already gone. It disappointed him really until he heard the café door bell ring when the door was open & the sound of a loud & boisterous but otherwise happy laughter. He snapped his head to the door & saw the same 2 men from outside enter the café. The quiet one of the two was smiling albeit slightly at the other's laughter.

"Oh my God Mattie, that's hilarious!" the louder one laughed at the other apparently named Mattie. Mattie just nodded & spoke to him in a quieter voice.

"Yes Al, I get that, but can you please keep your voice down now?" Ivan just barely heard him with all the other people talking in the café. "Ok whatever you say Mattie." The other said happily.

"But that's only 'cause your buyin' me some pancakes!" he exclaimed quietly & making the other one sigh.

"You're so impatient." Mattie said to him. The other just laughed at him & turned his head Ivan's way. What Ivan was then looking at, mesmerized him.

The man had a handsome face like no other Ivan had ever seen; his slightly tanned skin looked soft to touch alongside with his wheat blonde hair. His large smile was genuine one that made itself known with pearly white teeth, all the while it stay plastered on a strong & slightly triangular chin & ovular shaped face. The thing that stood out most was his eyes. Ivan found himself unable to break his own gaze away from the man's large & shining sky blue eyes that brimmed with happiness & confidence. They were the most beautiful shade of blue Ivan had ever had the privilege of looking at. The man Ivan could only call beautiful then looked straight at him. Ivan quickly broke his gaze away from him. After a moment, Ivan looked back up at the man who was back to talking with Mattie. Ivan spotted a familiar painting on the wall next to Mattie that was almost completely filled with sunflowers.

He recognized it as one of his own paintings. He always loved sunflowers almost as much as he loved his sisters, though with the little contact he's had from them for so long, he grew to love sunflowers just a bit more. He contently sighed & turned back to his coffee, the image of the man's eyes in his mind. Ivan suddenly seemed sure he had seen a pair of those eyes before. They felt too familiar & it made Ivan ask himself why.

"Hey bro, can we sit here?" the loud voice snapped Ivan out of his thoughtful silence & made him look up at the source of the voice. His eyes locked again with a pair of sky blue ones.

"Что?" he asked. The man looked at him with confusion.

"What? I asked if we could sit here." He repeated with an ever so large smile. Ivan looked at the pair & understood.

"Oh, of coarse. My apologies, I was lost for a moment." Ivan told him. He grinned & sat down along with Mattie, though Mattie was quieter about it.

"Thanks man! & that's fine, I get lost in my own thoughts a lot too." He replied with a grin. Mattie just sighed & Ivan was silent.

"Well, thank you for letting us sit here. The other tables seemed full & Al saw you sitting by yourself." The quieter of the 2 spoke. Ivan nodded again.

"Ваше добро пожаловать." Ivan said in his native tongue that made the 2 men sitting with him look at him funny.

"I'm sorry, but we don't understand Russian." Mattie told Ivan who nodded in understanding.

"Да. I get told that a lot. But I must say you are the first to know what my native language is. Most people just ask what I'm saying." Ivan said with a smile.

"My name is Ivan, by the way, Ivan Braginski" Ivan told the 2 men & holding a hand out.

"Matthew Williams." The quieter shook Ivan's hand which Ivan shook back. "This is-" "The name's Alfred! Alfred F Jones!" the one named Alfred spoke with pride.

"My brother Alfred." Matthew finished with a sigh. Ivan & Alfred shook hands. Once Ivan made contact with Alfred's skin, he felt something click instantly & found himself seeing flashes of 3 or 4 children laughing at him & someone with him & Ivan fighting, hearing noise of laughter, cries, & yells & his name being called, & finally, looking upon a small tanned & smiling face with wheat blonde hair & sky blue eyes looking at Ivan & muttering something incoherent.

Reality hit Ivan in the face & he jumped back into his chair. He held the table to keep himself from falling. Once Ivan steadied himself, he looked into the confused faces of Matthew & Alfred.

"Hey man, you okay?" Alfred asked. Ivan looked at him & Matthew & he sighed & nodded.

"Да. It is just…" he thought of ways to lie. He couldn't just tell the 2 of his flashback & try to go back into a conversation; they'd think he was crazy.

"I came into this country not too long ago & the plane ride must be getting to me, Да." He chuckled nervously & looked at them both. Both brothers kept confusion on their faces but Alfred just shrugged & sat back down. Matthew just kept quiet.

"Well, I get jet lag dude, but you must be tired." Alfred said. Ivan suddenly nodded & took a drink of his coffee.

"I think I will sleep later. For now I'd like to know this city before I do what I'm told." He declared. Alfred beamed & looked like he'd forgotten what just occurred.

"Awesome! We'll totally show you around if 'ya want!" Alfred offered with enthusiasm that hit Ivan so suddenly that he felt his body push back a bit in his chair. Matthew sensed this & intervened before Alfred made a fool of himself.

"That is if you want too, we're not gonna force you." Matthew said with a chuckle. Ivan chuckled as well & looked into Alfred's eyes & nodded.

"Да. That would be nice of you both." He answered. Alfred beamed.

"Cool man! You'll love it here! One of the best cities in the world here!" he exclaimed happily. A waitress then walked over with to plates of food in her hand & set them down on the table. Matthew thanked her along with Alfred. Alfred however was the first to dig into the large plate of pancakes that was set in front of him while Matthew just looked at him incredulously before going to his own plate of pancakes in a more refined manner. Ivan just eyed the two as they ate & took another drink of his coffee.

This gave Ivan the chance to compare Alfred & Matthew. They did look similar with few differences that Ivan could see from Matthew besides his obviously quiet nature; his hair with a more golden color & it was wavy & just a bit longer than Alfred's short & straight hair & Matthew's eyes were more of a darker violet-blue mix in color along with somewhat paler skin. Other than that, Ivan could say that the 2 were twins. He made it a thought to ask later. Alfred perked his head up to talk despite the fact his mouth was full.

"Sho Ivan, what brings you here in the shitty o' New York?" (So what brings you to the city of New York?) Alfred said with a mouth full of food. Ivan just got that & set his coffee down.

"Al, chew your food!" Matthew scolded Alfred in a quiet voice. Alfred just rolled his eyes & swallowed his food.

"Well, it is a business trip. I am an artist you see." He answered. Alfred's eyes widened considerably.

"Woah! Really? That's awesome! Are you like, a famous artist or something?" Alfred asked enthusiastically. Again, Ivan was taken back by the question but this time just smiled & looked at him.

"Well, I don't think so seeing as how no one is asking for an autograph. Нет, I am all but famous, I'm just a simple artist making his pay & with that, doing my job. For example, I am here to introduce my paintings to anyone interested in buying them." He explained with another drink of his coffee.

Alfred made a loud 'Ahh' noise where Matthew just nodded.

"What kind of paintings do you do?" Matthew asked.

"I paint mainly nature sceneries like hills or fields of sunflowers. A lot of therapists & doctors order them to soothe their patients, so I have noticed." He answered. Matthew gave a short nod.

"I'm a therapist in Vancouver, Canada & I see a lot of those types of paintings in & around the building. Maybe I've seen one of your paintings there at some point." He said with a slight smile.

"Well, if your building insists on using sunflower paintings for it's appearance, then your probably have once or twice." He said. Matthew thought for a moment & shrugged.

"I focus more on my work than anything else. The only reason I'm here is because Alfred kept bugging me to come." He said.

Alfred, with his food stuffing his cheeks, looked behind Ivan after he mentioned he painted sunflowers & spotted the medium sized painting on the wall behind the group.

"Hey Ivan, did chu make that paintching over 'here?" (Hey Ivan, did you make that painting over there?) Matthew shot a look at Alfred.

"Alfred, chew your food!" Matthew exclaimed in his small voice. Alfred swallowed his pancakes & looked at the painting of sunflowers.

"Did you paint that one over there?" he asked in a clearer voice to Ivan. Said man looked back at the painting & then back at Alfred. He nodded. Alfred looked back at the painting & then back at Ivan with a large & beaming grin.

"Dude, that painting is like…wow! You must be really good!" Alfred exclaimed loud enough to earn a few looks from the other customers.

Ivan felt a warmness dust his cheeks at that comment, if not slightly. He couldn't really remember someone actually complimenting his work directly to him. He didn't say anything he just took a drink of his half empty & cooling coffee. Alfred just returned to stuffing his face with the plate of pancakes in front of him, finishing the plate in just another uninterrupted minute. Matthew was just about done as well, but again at a more refined pace. He glanced at his brother. "Alfred, wipe your face. Your still have crumbs on the corners of your mouth." He told him. Alfred looked for the closest napkin he could. He saw a creamy, white, cotton like thing on Ivan's side of the table. He reached out & took it & in the meantime, pulling the rest of it as well.

Ivan meanwhile felt his scarf get pulled, him along with it. He went forward once his scarf was tugged with force, standing up instinctively to avoid falling on his face. The pulling stopped abruptly once he stood. His violet eyes trailed his scarf to the end that was pulled & saw a gloved hand clutching it. He then followed the arm it belonged too & his eyes landed on the wide ones of Alfred. Alfred let go of his scarf quickly & sat back down.  
"Oh man, sorry dude, I thought that was a napkin dude, I'm SO sorry." Alfred said with severe sincerity.

Ivan wondered for a moment before he looked down to spot a creamy brown liquid starting to spread on the table.. Sighing slightly & mourning the rest of his warm coffee for a moment, he looked up to the still slightly wide eyes of Alfred. He smiled.

"Nothing to worry about, let's just clean this up & we can leave, da?" he said.

Alfred blinked & nodded before standing up. Alfred was about to go for the napkins to clean up the spilt liquid but he spotted the empty seat next to him. He panicked ever so slightly at the quick absence of his brother but looked over to the counter & saw him asking the woman at the counter for napkins.

'Damn he's fast. Its like he just disappears whenever he pleases.' Alfred thought.

He looked back to Ivan who discarded the empty coffee cup next to their table. Alfred sat back down with a sigh.

"Again, I'm sorry man. I'm a clumsy bastard sometimes." He said with a nervous chuckle. Surprisingly enough, Ivan also chuckled.

"It was an accident, nothing more." Ivan told Alfred.

Alfred smiled a bit. Both took a minute however to realize that Matthew had returned with a handful of napkins in his hand until said man cleared his throat & Alfred looked up at him.

"Oh there you are Matthew!" Alfred said before taking a couple of napkins & wiping up the mess on the table. Matthew sighed & put a tip on the table before the trio took their leave from the warm café to the cold winter air outside. Alfred pulled his dark coat tighter to his body for warmth once he stepped out, shivering ever so slightly in the process.

"Damn it to hell! Its cold!" he exclaimed as soon the cold air nipped at his exposed face.

Matthew couldn't help but agree with his loud brother as he pulled his own coat closer to his body. Ivan shrugged it off since he was used to the feeling. Alfred turned to him to say something but found himself gaping for a moment at Ivan's height. Ivan noticed.  
"Is something wrong Alfred?" he asked.

Alfred shook his head clear & grinned.

"Nope, just kinda found myself observing how tall you are. You seemed shorter when you were sitting down!" he exclaimed.

Ivan raised a brow at the apparent bluntness that radiated off the American. He just smiled down at him though. Matthew looked at the 2 & cleared his throat. Alfred snapped his head towards his brother & let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry Mattie, you scared me. I thought you were a ghost for a second & I would have, you know, freaked out. But hey, I thought you were behind us." Alfred said.

Matthew sighed.

"I've been ahead the entire time Alfred." Matthew reminded. Alfred just looked at him funny.

"I swear dude, you have like superpowers that make you invisible when you want." Alfred said. Matthew frowned a bit.

"Sometimes I think as well." He said. Alfred turned to Ivan who was waiting for the 2, & Alfred again showed a toothy grin to the said man.

"So, ready to see the city with us Big Guy?" he asked. Realization clicked in Ivan's head when he realized that he'd finally be spending time with Alfred again after being apart from him for so long. The thought itself made Ivan excited. He smiled again & nodded.

"I would enjoy it, Alfred." He answered. Alfred beamed.

"Awesome! You're gonna love it Ivan, this is one of the greatest cities in the world!"

He exclaimed excitedly before taking lead & explaining at a fast pace what the 3 would visit.

It fell on deaf ears however to Ivan. He just watched the happy & bouncy American plan out their day with his quiet brother beside him. Another genuine smile crossed the Russian's face without the said man realizing it.

"_I have finally found you after so long, Alfred. So long." _He thought while walking behind the bouncy & bubbly blonde that showed his face in his dreams.

* * *

& its finished! Reviews are wonderful to me & I will read them. Chapter 2 is being written at the moment so if you find an interest in this so far, the next chapter will come in due time. Hopefully soon. In the next chapter, Ivan explores The Big Apple with Alfred & Matthew & prepares for his art auction.

**Translations: **

Привет: Hello.

Да: Yes.

Что?: What?

Ваше добро пожаловать: Your welcome.


	2. A Tour and a Moment of Silence

**Chapter 2: A Tour and a Moment of Silence**

Here's Chapter 2~

**Quick Sum: **Ivan has come to America for his job as an artist for Kirkland/Bonnefoy International Imports to present his work at an auction. Lately though, he has been having some strange dreams that concern a time in his childhood that change into certain time but consist of one memory only and it confuses Ivan to no end, especially since his dreams always have one thing that comes: his only childhood friend Alfred whom he has not seen in years. However in a café, a bouncy and bubbly blonde along with his brother introduce themselves to Ivan but as soon as he shakes the younger brother's hand, he get's a flashback of the memory he's been dreaming of. Once he pieces together what happened he realized that the man he shook his hand with is his childhood friend that he missed so dearly. There is a problem though: Alfred doesn't look like he remembers Ivan. Now the trio is off to explore New York City before Ivan has to go & meet his bosses for the auction.

**I don't own any attractions mentioned, Hetalia, or the characters. If I did, YAOI FOR EVERYBODY!**

* * *

While Alfred along with his brother and Ivan were walking down through the large city, Alfred couldn't help but think that something was wrong with Ivan. The event that occurred in the café didn't slip his mind, even though it seemed like it.

"_I just shook his hand. Did he have like a seizure or something?" _he thought.

Though the blonde tried continuously to start a conversation with his quiet brother and Russian acquaintance, his mind kept swirling with theories that surrounded Ivan and whatever happened in the café.

"_I can't just ask him about it. He probably won't say anyway."_ The blonde thought.

"Alfred, where exactly are we going?" a quiet voice beside him asked. He looked over to his older brother by minutes with a grin.

"Times Square, Mattie! It only seems right since it's pretty much the landmark of this city!" he exclaimed.

Matthew nodded at the information. Ivan raised a brow.

"What exactly is in Times Square, Alfred?" the Russian man asked. Alfred looked back at him with surprise on his tanned face.

"Only everything! They got shopping centers, museums of almost any kind, theaters, and the best food courts ever!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Ivan decided to take to Alfred's word if he's so excited.

"Have you been here before?" he asked Alfred. Alfred bobbed his head in a nod.

"Hell yea, me, Mattie, and our dad have been here before. In fact, now that I think about it, I think Artie's in the city right now for work. I'm here for that too but it ain't for a while so I just wanna explore the city before I get to work!" he explained.

Ivan nodded at the explanation and the apparent plan for the day.

"I think the first place we should check out is the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum." Alfred suggested to the other 2.

Ivan was just to follow the brothers to wherever they were going since he knew next to nothing about the attractions of Times Square. Matthew shrugged.

"May as well since you like those books so much." Matthew agreed. Alfred beamed & fist pumped the air.

"Alright, that's the first place we'll go! This is gonna be so cool!" he exclaimed happily.

Ivan couldn't help but chuckle at how much Alfred looked like a child about to visit the ice cream shop after getting an A+ on a test.

After a considerable amount of walking, Ivan found himself standing in front of a very unique looking museum with the bright lit words 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' along with 'Discover the Unusual & Bizarre' & an entrance sign with the word 'Odditorium' written on it. A very unusual type of entrance to the very least but it seemed to excite Alfred & Matthew to a degree. Ivan decided he'd try it out. Once the 3 paid for their tickets, they all went in. It was…interesting to Ivan.

The first things he saw was an array of strangeness spanning from a stuffed 2-headed calf, a wax figure of a man without legs doing a handstand with his fists, another wax figure of an Asian woman with countless golden rings that stretched her neck, and more that Ivan couldn't name.  
His companions however were gaping, Alfred more so than his brother.  
With a tour of unusual objects, people, and other un-nameable things, the trio arrived in a hallway with a railed path leading to a door while the cylinder shaped wall was spinning, making the 3 feel like they were heading to another dimension and making Ivan thankful he didn't eat yet as looking upon the walls made him feel a bit light-headed and sick.

Once the 3 came out, Matthew's face was a bit green still and Alfred was bouncy.

"My God that was so cool! We have to visit it again soon! Did you see that Albino Giraffe or jar with the Tourist head!? That was unbelievable!" he exclaimed happily while his companions were sitting down.

Ivan just took a couple of deep breaths to get rid of that sick feeling from the inter-dimensional hallway. He stood with a sigh along with an even sicker looking Matthew.

"Yes Alfred we saw them and honestly, yes they were pretty awesome to look at." Matthew agreed.

Ivan smiled & nodded at the two, though honestly, he was a bit less thrilled about the tour, more at the hallway then the quite interesting exhibits present in the building.

"_Honestly, humanity and The All Mighty are filled with surprises."_ Said Russian thought.

Once Alfred was able to calm his excitement some and Matthew was able to throw up his lunch in a nearby trashcan along with taking an aspirin, the trio set off again for more museums and attractions as planned.

"How about we stop by Madame Tussaud's? I heard they have a Captain America wax figure in there, which would be the coolest thing to ever see since The Statue of Liberty!" Alfred exclaimed excitedly.

"I think they also have JFK and Martin Luther King in there as well Alfred." Matthew added.

Alfred's head snapped back to his brother with a wide grin.

"Only a better reason to go in, Mattie!" Alfred exclaimed in an ever so excited tone like he was actually meeting the former president & civil rights leader themselves.

Alfred, dragging his brother along, wasted no time to go and see the said wax figures while Ivan was walking behind the two with a raised brow at the American's excitement for wax figures. The three explored the museum & its 'contents' with Alfred's attention mostly to the Captain America, JFK, Martin Luther King and other American figures while Matthew was more focused on the figures of Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein and Ivan on the former Russian president Vladimir Putin and the figure of Madame Tussaud herself.

Ivan found himself glancing back at Alfred at some points for reasons he can't really pinpoint.

To see how he's changed?

To see if he's still the same Alfred as from before?

To simply see what he was doing?

Ivan didn't know. He shook his head to hopefully clear any confusing thoughts from his head, though that seemed inevitable at the moment.

"Hey Ivan, who're you lookin' at?" Alfred asked.

Ivan looked over to see the curious blonde next to him, looking at the figure of Madame Tussaud.

"Oh, it is Madame Tussaud apparently. It says it on this pamphlet. It says she created death masks of executed nobles and even for King Louis the 16th & his Queen." Ivan told Alfred with a look at the pamphlet explaining Madame Tussaud.

Alfred made an 'Oh' sound at that.

"Then came a museum for wax figures." Alfred said.

Ivan nodded in agreement.

"It appears so." Ivan said with a scan around the museum.

After another thirty minutes, the three left Madame Tussaud's. They then resulted to an unorganized way of exploring the city which had resulted the three going around Times Square and more of the city to visit three more museums, one of which was of American History (which was Alfred's idea), a few shops to which Alfred bought his brother a small plush of a maple syrup bottle with a smiley face on it and Ivan found a matryoshka doll to send Katyusha for her birthday, and even a broad way show that showcased Rock of the Ages as evening started to roll by. Now the trio was resting at a bar at an Applebee's.

Alfred's dinner choice was a hamburger while Ivan and Matthew settled with something small. Now all seated at the bar, Alfred and Matthew with beers in hand and Ivan with a simple glass of water (because of the lack of any type of vodka in the establishment), the three were to putting their night to an end with joyful chatter and an already tipsy Matthew.

"So vodka's your prime poison?" Alfred asked with a swig of his Bud Light.

Ivan nodded.

"Nothing better than good old Russian water in one's system." Ivan told proudly.

Alfred laughed loudly.

"No way dude, nothin's better then a good ol' Jack Daniels and Rum!" Alfred argued heartily to the Russian.

Alfred looked over at his already swaying brother and saw the three empty Budweiser bottles near him, with the 4th in his hand. Alfred chuckled at his semi-drunk brother.

"Hey Mattie, 'ya think you wanna lay off some of that?" Alfred pointed out.

Matthew was sniggering at Alfred.

"Why Alfie? Like you said, 'All 'merican beer', eh? Jus' samplin'." He snickered in a slightly slurred tone.

Alfred laughed and took the bottle from Matthew's hands, receiving a whine from the usually quiet man.

"I can't disagree with you there, but I think that's enough 'samplin' from you now. Besides, I think Artie'll be kinda pissy to see his oldest with a hangover during a business visit, knowin' him." Alfred told Matthew.

Matthew seemed a bit lost but nodded.

"Guess you're right Al. But he's pissy all the time so it won' really matter." He said laying his head on his palm.

Alfred just shrugged and nodded.

"Yea, but I don't feel like being lectured by him at the moment cause I let 'ya drink." Alfred told him with a grin and a laugh.

Matthew scrunched his face in a grimace and nodded.

"Okay sheesh, I'll go and wash my face with cold water then." He told Alfred with quiet irritation before getting up and walking towards the bathroom, running into a couple of people and stumbling a bit.

Alfred turned to Ivan and was about to say something when they both jumped at the sound of women screaming. Alfred stood up and looked over at the bathrooms to see Matthew stumbling out of the women's bathroom, apologizing with a nervous grin before scrambling into the men's bathroom.

Alfred watched it and started laughing uncontrollably while Ivan was trying to keep his own laughter at a snickering tone. Alfred, holding his stomach and tears in his eyes also still giggling after a minute, walked back to his set next to Ivan before turning to him and calming down.

"Oh…my God Mattie." He mumbled with a grin.

"I should probably think twice before letting him drink more than one bottle." He said with a chuckle at Ivan.

Said Russian couldn't help but agree with a nod & a smile. Alfred then looked a bit hesitant for some reason. Ivan could not help but notice it.

"So, Ivan, I gotta ask." He started.

Ivan raised a brow and nodded to him to continue.

"What was with you earlier in the café?" he asked.

Ivan felt himself go cold quickly and his eyes widen some.

"_Dear God…he didn't just pass it off. He is smarter than he is made out to be."_ Ivan thought, seeing Alfred was waiting for an answer.

Ivan took a moment to think of something because he did not feel now was the time to tell Alfred of his flashback.

"I have a slight nerve problem. Sometimes I am prone to have my nerves start to spasm. Nothing to be so worried about." He lied, hoping Alfred, much to his own discontent, was naïve enough to believe him.

Alfred stared at him for a moment, contemplating if that was the issue and not something else. Though Ivan answered that quickly and even though Alfred believed it, he still didn't feel satisfied with the answer given to him. Never the less, Ivan didn't seem like the person to be easily pushed to his limit so Alfred just left it for now. However because of that question, they both slipped into a short but terribly awkward silence. Ivan managed to break it, much too both their reliefs.

"Alfred, now I have a question to ask you." He told Alfred.

Alfred turned to the tall Russian & blinked.

"Shoot." He said.

Ivan raised a brow in confusion at the gesture. Alfred laughed.

"I don't mean actually shoot me, dude. I mean go ahead and ask." He relieved to Ivan.

Ivan in return made an 'ohh' sound & smiled.

"Ahh. I am sorry; I am not accustomed to American type phrases." He said with a chuckle.

Alfred returned a chuckle.

"Anyway, have you ever been to Russia?" he asked.

Alfred put his finger to his chin in thought.

He then shook his head.

Ivan felt his heart sink a bit.

The two found themselves again in an awkward silence due to Ivan's loss of interest in talking which bummed Alfred out.

"_I say something wrong? Why'd he go so quiet after he asked me if I've ever been to Russia?" _Alfred thought.

Alfred spotted Matthew coming back from the corner of his eye, walking at a steadier pace now.

"Come on Al, I think I wanna go to bed." Matthew said to Alfred once he reached his seat.

Alfred looked at him for a second and nodded.

"Sure bro, if 'ya want. But can we stop by one more place before we go back?" Alfred asked.

Matthew raised a brow but shrugged. Alfred beamed & smiled.

"Awesome Mattie, you're the best!" he told Matthew before hugging him.

Ivan raised a brow at Alfred's request and how excited he was, thinking of what Alfred could possibly be talking about. Though Ivan could feel Matthew's pain as far as fatigue went, he figured it wouldn't hurt to see where else Alfred wanted to go. Alfred then turned to Ivan.

"Hey, Ivan, dude, you want to uhh, wanna tag along for this last visit? If you don't want too, we could get 'ya back to your hotel if 'ya want." Alfred offered to the Russian.

Ivan blinked at the American and smiled.

"No, I would like to see this lovely tour of the city to an end with you and your brother." Ivan said to Alfred.

Alfred smiled and nodded before standing up, dusting himself off, paying the bill, helping Matthew stand up, and leaving outside with Ivan on his heels.

Though this trip had taken some time to get to, it was worth it to Alfred. He knew he had to pay his respects while he was here. Once the car Matthew rented stopped (with Alfred driving), Ivan and himself stepped out while Matthew was asleep in the back seat, saying before that he wanted to just sleep in the back seat which Alfred had let him do. Ivan's violet eyes landed on the place they had arrived to. It was almost like a park what with the amount of flora and fauna Ivan could see, but as he looked closer, he could see some structures built in the place.

"Where exactly are we?" Ivan asked Alfred who had barely made a laugh or a chuckle as they drove to this place.

"The 9/11 Memorial. I just had to stop here once while I was in the state." Alfred answered simply and somewhat sadly to Ivan.

Ivan thought for a moment until he remembered hearing about the events that took place around 8 in the morning, September 11, 2001 when The World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorists crashing two planes into the buildings, killing about 3000 some people. From what Ivan could tell about Alfred, he was very patriotic about his country so it made more sense that the happy and bubbly blonde would stop here as a last attraction visit as if it were the main and final event of a party, if there was any other way to describe it.

The two toured the memorial for a short time and all the while, Ivan felt a sort of dread in the air from the normally bouncy and bubbly blonde that made him almost as silent as a mouse and sullen. It didn't suit him at all, Ivan would think, but he somehow couldn't bring himself to break the silence, no matter how dreadful. Ivan focused more on Alfred than the memorial itself and where he was going. Alfred seemed to want to go a certain spot in the memorial the more he walked through it. Ivan stopped when something caught his eye. It was a fireman's coat put on display. Ivan had to guess that it belonged to a once brave soul trying to help people out of the building when the planes crashed but must have died doing so.

"_Hey Ivan look! My dad gave this to me for my birthday!"_ a small voice suddenly rang in Ivan's head. His eyes widened again he stepped back from the display.

"…W-What…?" Ivan said to himself, putting a hand on his forehead to hold it.

"What was that?" Ivan mumbled to himself, confused and a tad frustrated.

Blinking and looking around for Alfred, Ivan realized he must have been distracted in the display for a little while longer than he anticipated when Ivan saw Alfred was no where to be found. He again looked around but saw no sign of the blonde.

"Alfred?" Ivan called, hoping he didn't get far.

No answer.

With that attempt, Ivan started walking around, looking for the missing blonde. Luckily, Ivan didn't need to go far even with his next to nothing knowledge about the indoor and outdoor structure of the place when he spotted a head of blonde hair standing in front of one of the large square fountains Ivan saw on a banner before he came into the memorial. Ivan started walking towards him when he saw something peculiar about the large square fountain: the outline of it had the names of the people supposedly killed in the plane crashes and the buildings they crashed in. Ivan looked over to Alfred again and connected the dots. He walked over to Alfred until he was next to him, said American so far taking no notice in the large Russian man. Ivan looked at his face. Alfred's eyes were a bit red as if he'd been crying a bit before Ivan found him, also looking down at the stone outline with all the names of the people who died but his gaze was directed at one name in particular. Ivan followed his gaze to one name.

'Allison F. Jones' was the name Ivan's own gaze landed on.

"I came here to find her name." Alfred suddenly spoke up.

Ivan looked over to him.

"_I was right. Someone of his died from this."_ Ivan thought.

"Who was she?" Ivan asked.

Alfred was quiet for a moment before sniffling to himself.

"My mom. She came here to meet a friend of hers that was sick and…" he couldn't finish his sentence.

Ivan however got the point quickly. He looked at Alfred sadly, knowing the feeling of losing his mother. Ivan could picture Alfred's mother though; a happy, exciting, and sweet woman, much like her son who Ivan could find almost no reason for someone to hate.

The two were silent after that, before Alfred took the small white flower he had in his hand and gently set it on top of his mother's name and leaning down and giving the carved name a small kiss.

"I love you, mom. Me and Mattie miss you everyday." He mumbled to the name.

Ivan saw this and the feeling that took place in his heart at the moment, was sympathy and sadness at seeing Alfred's pain towards the loss of his mother as if she was once the very light of his life, only to see that light flicker away.

Alfred stood up straight with an exhale that sounded like he had been holding it in for the longest time.

"Let's go before someone see's a spiffy guy like Mattie asleep in a car and decides to rob him." Alfred said somewhat quickly and walking past Ivan.

Ivan looked at him and kept up with him. He felt that he should say something but had no idea what to say. He just decided to speak of the first thing that crossed his mind.

"I lost my mother as well." He sullenly told Alfred as they made their way outside with the car just yards away.

Alfred stopped and turned to him.

"You did?" he asked a bit hesitantly, Ivan nodding to him.

"After my sister was born. I was five." Ivan told to the lament blonde in front of him.

It was Alfred's turn to feel sympathetic for the Russian. Sure he had to admit to himself, that when he lost his mother at the age of eleven, he was distraught and saddened by her sudden and awful death. He could however sense the feeling of forget and un-knowing from Ivan revealing his own mother's fate.

"I'm sorry." Alfred said, feeling rather regretful for making Ivan think of his mother.

Ivan looked down.

"It is alright. Thank you." Ivan said, resuming his steps to the car.

Alfred just looked at him as he walked by and entered the car through the passenger seat. He sighed and kept quiet before walking back to the car and getting in through the driver's seat, neither of the two exchanging a word to each other as Alfred started the car and backed out from the parking lot, taking one last look at the memorial before driving off to Ivan's hotel.

The only words exchanged between the two were simple directions to Ivan's hotel as Alfred drove until he was able to locate the right hotel and park in front of the building. Alfred looked over to Ivan.

"Hey, uhh, today was fun, yea?" he asked, finally breaking the awkward and ever so dreadful silence the two had to endure.

Ivan looked over at the American and nodded with a smile.

"It was. Thank you." Ivan said much to Alfred's relief.

Alfred looked at the back seat, Matthew still sleeping in it. Alfred chuckled.

"I think I better get him back to his own bed soon. Boy, is he gonna have one hellacious morning tomorrow." Alfred said with a laugh.

Ivan looked over at the back seat, spotting the sleeping man, forgetting he was even there to begin with. He then looked back over at Alfred and nodded.

"That is true, as I should get back to my own. My own day tomorrow will surely be a busy one." Ivan told Alfred, receiving a hum in response from the blonde.

"Yea, me too." Alfred said back to Ivan.

As Ivan was about to get out of the car, he was stopped by Alfred talking to him.

"So, see 'ya later, I guess." Alfred said with a warm smile towards the Russian man.

Ivan felt his heart leap a beat at the warm smile the blonde was giving him, one he was not used to gazing at anymore. His words almost disappeared from his voice just looking at that smile, managing to gather them in time and returning his own smile.

"Yes, it would be nice. Have a good night Alfred." Ivan said.

Alfred waved at him as a sign of departure.

"Night man." Alfred said before Ivan shut the door and watched the car back out of the building's front and leave in its own direction. It was only then that Ivan could drop his smile and walk back inside the warm hotel lobby.

Ivan barely wasted anytime to be back in his room, millions of thoughts crossing his mind, almost all about Alfred. Once Ivan closed the door to his hotel room, he let out a sigh he had been holding, going to his bed, sitting on the edge, and digging through one of his bags to find a small flask of vodka he had brought, opening it and taking a swig.

All of this was so confusing to the Russian.

The dreams of his childhood at a certain time always plaguing his mind, the realization that Ivan had finally found the one person that lit up his lonesome and miserable life at a time, and the fact that Alfred has no recollection of anything of that time or Ivan for that matter.

Ivan just wanted to connect everything together and just let all the weighing confusion and anything else of the sort to just fade away. Sadly, that was none to simple.

"_What must I do…? Why does he not remember me?" _Ivan thought desperately with another swig of his flask and lying back on the bed.

Ivan could not get the picture of Alfred's warm smile out of his head. He also couldn't get the quiet and sorrowful moment they un-expectently shared at the memorial that had brought more memories up for the two that neither obviously wanted to remember.

"What is wrong with me!?" Ivan snapped at himself with a frustrated groan.

He figured that he should just sleep but stopping, knowing that he'll dream again, half-afraid of anymore confusion that he felt was sure to come from them.

Though Ivan wanted to stay awake, his body disagreed with him.

With another sigh, he relented; knowing that the day's activities, the stress, and the jetlag all combined would eventually force him to relent so he thought he may as well just let it all get to him.

Without even bothering to change his clothes, he put his flask down on the night-table, hung his coat up and taking his boots off, he laid down on the bed and shut the light off, already feeling sleep creeping up on him. He clutched an end of his most prized scarf in his pale hand under the covers; a habit of his that he picked up when Katyusha gave it to him when he ever felt so overwhelmed or upset.

With the comforting action, he let his eyelids droop and felt himself slip in sleep, knowing that the dreams will come back to him once he did.

* * *

_Ivan's violet eyes widened at the realization that the very children that found it amusing to tease and torture him daily had come to his only place of solitude. Ivan knew he had to leave and get back to his small and shabby home before he was found out. Ivan didn't want to explain to Big Sister Katyusha why he had bruises, which he was sure he would get if he stayed any longer. With that thought, he jumped off the stump as the laughing got louder and started running, his feet and legs already numb from the cold. Ivan ignored it though and kept running from the growing laughter and chatter. Once he was sure he was close to exiting the forest, he looked back to see if they were following him. To his surprise, he couldn't see them. He stopped running to breathe since his lungs were burning for air with his running. He looked back again and just saw trees and snow. A relieved smile crossed his face before he stood straight. _

"_I need to return home anyway. Big Sister Katyusha will be worried." Ivan thought._

_As he turned however, he was met with a shove to the ground that landed him on his back in the cold snow._

_His eyes widened in alarm once he felt the hands shove him roughly to the ground. He sat up quickly and backed away as a loud and cruel laughter echoed into his ears._

"_Hey Mathias, bring your cousin over here! I found a yeti!" the albino laughed._

_Ivan looked behind German boy to see Mathias, Gilbert's friend from Denmark, laughing just as loudly with his quiet and stoic, not to mention younger, Swedish cousin Berwald come towards Mathias's friend, looking over at Ivan and laughing again._

"_You actually did Gilbert! A nice catch as well!" Mathias laughed, Berwald as quiet and stoic as ever behind him. The 10 year old Russian stood up as bravely as he could to face them._

"_I am not a yeti! I'm not big and furry like them!" Ivan snapped bravely at them._

_Gilbert and Mathias laughed at Ivan's bravery._

"_But there's one thing that makes you related, Ruski, and that's the fact that you both are just big freaks that no one bothers to hang around!" Gilbert retorted with a smirk._

_Ivan had heard the term 'Ruski' enough before to know that it was an insult towards his Russian heritage. Ivan felt warm tears prick his eyes but held them back._

"_Just let me go home. Big Sister will be worried." Ivan said quickly, trying to side-step away from the boys to get away._

_He was stopped when Berwald got a hold of his arm, stopping him from leaving._

_Ivan turned to see Gilbert and Mathias coming towards him._

"_Aww, you wanna cry to your sister? Ha! You're like a girl! Even your little sister is manlier than you!" Gilbert laughed before grabbing the struggling Ivan's scarf. _

_Ivan's eyes widened again when he saw what Gilbert had a hold of. He panicked._

"_No! Give that back! That's mine!" Ivan begged, going for the scarf end in the German boy's clutches. Once he did, he was grabbed from the behind and had his arms pinned against a taller, Danish body. _

_Ivan struggled against Mathias's grip as Gilbert unwound his precious scarf from around his neck. Ivan didn't feel the tears go down his pale cheeks as he struggling and yelled more. _

"_Give that back! That's mine! Please don't do anything to it!" Ivan begged to the laughing Gilbert._

_Said German boy just smirked at Ivan's begging._

"_What, are you gonna cry if I do something to it?" Gilbert asked in a mocking tone before kicking Ivan in the legs, sending to Russian boy to the ground with Mathias still pinning him by now sitting on him. Ivan again started struggling under Mathias's weight. He managed to looked up at Gilbert and see him playing with his scarf._

"_Is this pink? How girlish! Hey Matthias, I think the freak's a girl!" Gilbert cackled while winding the scarf around his head, Berwald taking one end and fiddling with it Matthias laughed. _

"'_She' must be Gilbert! That must be why 'she's' crying so much!" Matthias chortled._

_Ivan didn't realize until now that he was indeed, crying and sniffling as he watched his bullies play with his most prized possession with him unable to get it back. Ivan saw the hopelessness of the situation as Gilbert and Berwald played with his scarf. Ivan, unable to do anything else, stopped struggling and let the tears flow down his cheeks and into the cold snow beneath his already numbing face._

"_Hey, stop that right now!" a voice yelled from nearby, stopping Gilbert's laughter, making him looked over at the voice._

* * *

Ivan's eyes snapped open as he woke up, feeling the tell-tale signs of a cold sweat on his face. He sat up with a groan and felt his slightly damp fore-head, catching the morning rays shining through his curtains. Wiping some of the sweat off with a tissue, he swung his long legs over the side of the bed and let his head rest tiredly in the palms of his hands.

"Another one." Ivan mumbled to himself with a sigh.

Ivan looked around the room until his eyes landed at the foot of his door where a small scrap of paper laid on the floor in front of the door. He raised a brow before standing up and walking over to it and picking it up.

It was from Feliks.

_Dear Ivan,_

_Sorry for not telling you in person but Toris got worse early this morning when he collapsed so I had to take him to the hospital and that's where we currently are at the moment. _

_We don't know when we'll be back so Toris told me to leave you these instructions for your meeting today:_

_SoHo Grand Hotel at 310 West Broadway_

_1:30 P.M _

_Auction Date: February 20__th__ at 6:30 to 9:00 P.M_

_That's so far what Toris told me to tell you from that phone call with that loud and funny British guy._

_Good luck~_

_Feliks_

Ivan sighed at the paper when he read about Toris's apparent predicament. He re-read it again before looking at the clock.

10:25 A.M it read.

"I have enough time." Ivan thought aloud.

He went over to one of the smaller bags of his and opened it to take out a sketch pad along with some pencils. He went over to the chestnut table in the corner of the room and turned the light on before taking one of the neatly sharpened pencils and let his mind open up, letting his hand made its mark on the paper in front of him.

* * *

Holy crap, that's long! Anyway, yea, here you go, the next one hopefully will be a bit quicker to be posted (if I manage to get the freaking computer to myself). I also kinda found myself at a minor writer's block for a couple of days but I got through it in time!

In the next chapter, a few more characters will be introduced along with a few minor pairings, so expect that, I won't tell you anything else.

~Sunny


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